Anyone can draw. Award-winning artist Bruce Waldman has spent the last 30 years teaching people at all levels simple methods for drawing nearly anything imaginable by adapting and simplifying techniques favored by artists since the Renaissance. Now his book Drawing for Everyone provides a clear path to artistic expression for those who have never attempted art before.

Learn how light and shadow work, how to make objects seem close or far away, how to draw complex things by starting with simple geometric shapes, and more.

Drawing for Everyone contains plenty of step-by-step instruction, but it's more than that -- it's an art class in a book, a guide to discovering your own personal artistic vision.

Ultimately, the tools and exercises inside will free you to powerfully express your ideas on paper.

Bruce also shares personal anecdotes about his own creative and teaching experiences through the years.

Black-and-white and full-color illustrations.

160 pages.

8-1/2 inches by 11 inches.

About the Author:

Bruce Waldman has been teaching at the School of Visual Arts in New York City for more than 30 years, and has also taught at the Westchester Center for the Arts and the College of New Rochelle. He exhibits extensively in New York City and beyond. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop and a Director of the New York Society of Etchers. His prints are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the New York Public Library, the Art Institute of Chicago, the New York Historical Society, the Bronx Zoological Museum, the Royal Collection, the Library of Congress, the Housatonic Museum of Art in Connecticut, and the New York Transit Museum.

Reviews:

LIBRARY JOURNALWaldman, a seasoned art educator (illustration, School of Visual Arts, New York) and practicing artist, believes that anyone can learn to draw and express themselves creatively. He presents an art class in a book based upon four simple rules that are discussed in the first chapter. These rules derive from classical Renaissance-era methods and readers can practice applying them in step-by-step exercises found throughout the book. Subsequent chapters cover depicting light and shadow; cloth and drapery; organic forms; one-, two-, and three-point perspective; landscapes; the human figure; faces; and animals. Historical notes, often with accompanying master drawings, are sprinkled liberally throughout. VERDICT: This accessible and practical guide to realistic drawing basics has wide appeal potential and would be a successful addition to most libraries' art instruction shelves.

FOREWORD REVIEWSBruce Waldman distills the essence of his art experience into his thorough guide to drawing.

Perhaps the most important credential for anyone teaching art is experience, both in and out of the classroom. Waldman has both in spades, having served as an adjunct professor at New York’s School of Visual Arts for over thirty years, and as the recipient of awards and accolades for his own illustrations. His professional and pedagogical experience means that Waldman can vouch for what works and what is less effective, what’s important and what’s not, in drawing. It’s this succinct, thorough, but not overwhelming style that makes Drawing for Everyone live up to its title: beginners will be able to follow these lessons, practicing their own drawings or just gaining a better understanding of art and appreciation of it; longtime artists will benefit from the subtleties of Waldman’s examples and theory.

The book’s subtitle, "An Art Class in a Book," is accurate; readers get the "feel" of an art class due to Waldman’s friendly tone and interesting asides about his personal experiences and drawing tips. One of the concepts Waldman discusses is that of composition and balance in drawings, and it’s this model that carries over to the overall structure of the book. Clearly arranged into thirteen chapters, the book covers the basic rules of drawing, light and shadow, perspective, faces, people, and animals, with each chapter a perfectly composed balance of examples, tips, theory, and suggestions to push beyond the basics and draw upon one’s own creativity.

Waldman’s voice is not that of an artist mired in the past, either -- for example, he refers to the use of 3-point perspective in the film The Matrix and suggests studying the facial expressions of comic book characters like Wolverine. These modern references help to create a less intimidating environment, especially for beginners. As presented here, even the simplest drawings are seen as part of a single continuum, along with the works of da Vinci and Rembrandt. Further, techniques featured in modern visual entertainment are traced back to concepts originated by the old masters.

Plumb lines, perspective, and other concepts are all clearly conveyed, and Waldman’s own artwork provides inspiration throughout the book. With many "how to draw" books published every year, Drawing for Everyone stands out as one of the very few that could earn a place on the bookshelves of artists and nonartists alike as "essential."